Recycling of plastic and metal from trawl and net (RETRAWL2)

The objective of RETRAWL has been to upscale an innovative recycling technology, which transforms used maritime waste, mainly discarded fishning nets, trawls and ropes and taifune steel into high quality plastic raw materials. Closing the loop by adding value to both specific plastics and taifune metal waste by using state of the art technology, which meets all international requirements, will contribute to move from a linear into a more circular maritime economy. At the same time the technology offers huge potential to globally resolve an emerging part of the marine debris issues, namely ghost nets, not only causing severe harm to sea life and the marine environment but also accounting for considerable economic damage. The innovative elements of the technology and processes solve a significant waste stream problem, contribute to a more circular blue and green economy and reduce landfilling, marine pollution, CO2 emissions and loss of valuable resources, and at same time meeting the capacity targets necessary for a viable production economy. Furthermore the project partners set out to exploit the exploitation of the technology to other European and global markets with initial focus on Spain, and to investigate and implement a closed loop, or an almost cloed loop, business model for the maritime industry.

Benefits

Demonstrating that the Plastix' recyclates from discarded nets, trawls and ropes, out favour similar virgin plastics in relation to carbon footprint (CFP) by a sublime factor 1:20,5 for PA and a factor 1:5,5 for PE and a factor 1:5,7 for PP

Potentially out favour the use of virgin plastics and chemical recycling (depolymerization) & other waste management options, by far

Results

At project end (post 24 months) the reTRAWL project has demonstrated:

developing and building a large scale innovative recycling technology plant for the treatment of discarded fishing nets, trawls and ropes as well as taifune steel wires at a cost competitive unit treatment price

developing an exploitation plan spreading and replicating the technology and plant concept to the European and global market with intial focus on Spain

developing an (almost) closed loop business model for the production value chain in order to achieve the full benefits from plastic recycling, broadened to a circular business model for the maritime industry